5 Tips For Downsizing Your Office Space

In business, downsizing office space was typically seen as a by-product of reducing team sizes. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has seen a shift in the way businesses operate, opening up opportunities for employees to work from home. With this rise in remote working, the need for a large office space is dwindling.

By downsizing office space and reducing office footprint, businesses are able to provide their employees with more flexibility while controlling costs. If you are looking to scale back the size of your office space, take a look at our 5 top tips to make sure you’ve covered all bases.

Cost considerations
For some businesses, downsizing office space is led by a need to control operating costs. At a time where remote and hybrid working arrangements have become the new normal, it has left many offices looking sparse, leaving empty desks and extra space once utilised by employees. By downsizing, businesses are able to recoup money spent on rent and utility costs.

If controlling costs isn’t the main driving force for your business, it’s worth seeing whether any savings you make by downsizing can be utilised elsewhere – perhaps the money could be put towards a high-spec office with more amenities.

Listen to your team
When choosing to downsize, it’s important to engage with your employees to understand what they want from their workplace – this might be face-to-face or via a survey. Different personalities have different preferences that must be respected and listened to. On the one hand, some employees might prefer the convenience of working from home, while others may seek the social benefits of an office environment.

Location
Downsizing and moving locations typically come hand in hand – with this in mind, it’s important to carefully consider your employees when it comes to the area you choose. Picking the right location can boost morale amongst staff and encourage them to work from the office more than they might have initially intended to, so research local transport links and nearby amenities when scouting out a new area.

Rethink the workspace
With different working behaviours and styles, there’s no one size fits all when it comes to office space. Post-pandemic, employees might be more sensitive to social distancing and sanitation, so bear this in mind when looking at the sizing and layout of smaller potential offices. As discussed in one of our previous blog posts, the way offices are set up needs to accommodate hybrid working with the blend of remote and in-person working. This can be achieved through any (or all) of the following:

• setting up video conferencing in meeting rooms
• providing small single desk workspaces for those who aren’t comfortable mixing at tables
• small common areas for people to socialise in a safe way
• office partitions or desk dividers to create dedicated zones for people to work in

Privacy
Even those who have missed the social aspect of working in an office require private areas to concentrate on their work or take phone calls. As such, you could implement pods, booths, video call rooms or private offices with comfortable seating to recreate their set up at home.

Whether you are in the process of downsizing or you have already relocated to a smaller office, our experienced team at Ashlar can map out the most efficient layout for your business. With our space planning and office fit-out services, we implement a design that will take into consideration your current working position while future proofing the workspace, too. Simply contact us today to discuss your requirements.